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THE ISLAMIC THREAT

Name: THE ISLAMIC THREAT
Author: John L. Esposito
ISBN: 0-19-507184-0

MYTH OR REALITY?

by John L. Esposito ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1992

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Holy Cross professor (Middle East Studies) and State Department consultant Esposito calls for a more balanced and informed view of the Muslim world. For the thousand years since the Crusades, Muslim cultures have been demonized by Western writers. Muslims have been thought of as violent, irrational, and resistant to change, and the Muslim world as a monolithic bloc acting in hysterical concert. Esposito attempts to provide a more complex and sympathetic view of this globe-spanning religion, starting with its inception and including the recent spread of ``fundamentalism''—a term to which he objects. ``Liberal or mainline Christians,'' he argues, automatically think of fundamentalists as ``static, retrogressive, and extremist''; Muslim ``fundamentalism'' is more aptly termed ``revivalism'' or ``activism,'' and is often embraced by well- educated, responsible members of the community. Esposito cautions against equating modernity or intellectual sophistication with secular modes of thought, and points out that what appears to be modernization to Western eyes is seen as a legacy of colonialism by many Muslims. He includes a brief but lucid account of Islam's origins as one of the ``Abrahamic'' religions (along with Christianity and Judaism), as well as wonderful thumbnail sketches of major Muslim countries, organizations, and movements. Esposito rightfully points out that, far from being inordinately repressive, Muslim nations allowed divergent religious groups to worship under state protection, subject to a poll tax. But he does seem to underestimate the Ottoman threat to Europe in the 15th through 17th centuries, and the level of hostility to the West among Muslim countries today. He also fails to address properly the role of women in Muslim countries, but does try to explain Muslim outrage at Salman Rushdie. A much-needed and highly accessible account of an ancient and widespread culture too often presented only in terms of villainous stereotypes.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-19-507184-0

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1992

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.